Sidmouth CC’s Matt Cooke is one player who is probably wishing this coming Saturday (August 31) was not the final match day of the 2019 Tolchards Devon League season, writes Steve Birley.

Cooke has scored centuries in both of the last two matches for the club's 2nd XI. He followed up his 178 at home to Barnstaple & Pilton 1st XI - a total that came from just 115 balls during which he rifled 22 fours and slammed six sixes - with a 94-ball knock of 123 last Saturday at home to Braunton 1st XI, this time thumping a dozen fours and three sixes.

It means that in successive Fortfield outings, Cooke has plundered 311 runs from 209 deliveries, hitting 34 fours and nine sixes!

Cooke again plays at the Fortfield on the final Saturday of the season and the in-form batsman will have the chance of bagging a hat-trick of tins as eh plays for the1st Xi in the home meeting with Paignton.

Sidmouth 1st XI are battling to avoid their lowest top flight finish in 13 years this weekend. The Fortfield men host second placed Paignton and they go into the game sitting fourth with Plymouth in third spot (Plymouth end their season at Bovey Tracey).

Since 2007, Sidmouth 1st XI have been crowned champions eight times, finished second three times and only once, in 2017, finished outside the top three of the Premier Division.

Indeed this season is set to be only the second in recent times that Sidmouth Cricket Club has failed to win a divisional honour.

The only other season in recent times of no divisional honours for any of the three senior sides was the 2015 campaign when the 1st XI were runners-up in the premier Division, the second eleven finished as runners-up in the 2nd XI Premier Division and the Fortfield 3rd XI were seventh in what was then known as the 2nd XI B Division East.